EARLY VASCULAR AGING IN NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. COMPARISON WITH YOUNG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Introduction: It is well known that connective tissue diseases, like Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, are associated with early and accelerated atherosclerosis. During the last year, it has well established the concept of ‘‘Early vascular aging’’ (EVA), whose the aortic stiffness represents one of the most important markers. Aim: To evaluate early vascular aging, assessed by measuring Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), as an arterial stiffness index, in a group of normotensive patients with SLE and to compare these subjects with a group of young essential hypertensive (EH) individuals.Methods: In this cross-sectional study we have enrolled 50 normotensive SLE subjects (45 women and 5 men) with mean age of 39 ± 11.6 years matched for age and sex with a group of essential hypertensive patients (mean age 39 ± 10.8 years, 45 women and 5 men) and with a control group of health volunteers. Each patient has been underwent to 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) and to aPWV measurement through an oscillometric device (Arteriograph). Results: Clinic and 24-h systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were significantly lower in the SLE patients and in control group patients when compared to those of the hypertensive subjects (all p< 0.005). Despite this difference regarding BP, aPWV and IMT were not different between the two studied groups, being respectively PWV: 8.8 ± 2 m/s; IMT: 0.81 ± 0.2 I n SLE subjects and PWV: 9.5 ± 2 m/s IMT 0.77 ± 0.2 in the group of young essential hypertensive patients; p[0.05. In both groups aPWV was greater than that of the normal population in the same age category (7.1 m/s). In addition to this, the number of patients with higher value of aPWV than 10 m/s (cut off that identifies who has more cardiovascular risk) it hasn’t been significant different between SLE patients (26 %) and hypertensive ones (38 %) Conclusions: Our results seem to suggest that SLE has the same deleterious impact on vascular aging as well as high blood pressure. It is very likely that this unfavourable effect of SLE is mediated by chronic inflammation.